Okay, so the following five books are less Urban Fantasy as a formal subgenre and more “fantasy with a real-world urban setting where the city is so intertwined with the narrative that it’s practically another character”. That latter one is too hard to fit into an SEO-friendly headline, so pithy it is.
Half-Resurrection Blues by Daniel José Older
Let’s start with Carlos Delacruz in gritty Brooklyn. In the first book in this classic urban fantasy trilogy, Carlos is an agent for the New York Council of the Dead. He also happens to be an inbetweener, someone who is caught hanging between life and death. He gets tangled up in the machinations of other inbetweeners wreaking havoc around the Big Apple, especially Sasha, the sister of a guy Carlos lately offed in the course of duty. As the bodies pile up, Carlos begins to question everything he thinks he knows. (Bone Street Rumba #1; Ace, 2015)
Passing Strange by Ellen Klages
Moving back in time to 1940s San Francisco with this novella about queer love and female friendship. Back then, San Francisco was a haven for queer folks, but one that was dominated by oppressive laws and arrest-happy cops. Haskel, an artist, and Emily, her new girlfriend, use some powerful, personal magic in ways that fold back into the present. It’s a lovely look at a slice of California history we don’t often see. (Tordotcom, 2017)
All of Us With Wings by Michelle Ruiz Keil
Moving forward to 1980s San Francisco, we meet runaway teen Xochi, her wild child charge Pallas, and a motley crew of punk rockers. Michelle Ruiz Keil’s book deals with boundary crossing, bad decisions, and abuse in a magical world that feels almost Shakespearean. Keil portrays a San Francisco like what I remember from my childhood in the 80s and 90s, one I miss a lot. It’s grungy, crunchy, and not for the faint of heart. This is not a book for everyone, but it’s exactly for those who need it. (Soho Teen, 2020)
The Heartbreak Bakery by A.R. Capetta
This is one of those books I recommend to almost everyone I know. Syd, a teen sorting out pronouns, queerness, and identities, meets genderfluid demisexual Harley, a delivery person for the Austin bakery where Syd works. Syd accidentally bakes a batch of break-up brownies that cause relationship turmoil all over the city, and the two teens set off to fix what was broken before it breaks up the bakery and alters Austin’s queer community for good. It’s as sweet as a sugar cookie but as complex as a French patisserie. (Candlewick Press, 2021)
The Dead Take the A Train by Cassandra Khaw & Richard Kadrey
Big fan of both Cassandra Khaw and Richard Kadrey, so of course their new book, set in a dark, magical New York City has to make this list. If you like urban fantasy, you’ll love Julie Crews, a drug-addicted hardboiled antiheroine who could give Miriam Black a run for her money. When she takes a job from an eldritch god, things go from bad to bloody. It’s dark, it’s weird, it’s NYC at its grimiest. (Carrion City #1; Tor Nightfire, 2023)
